The reader will remember that Adelaide, wife of Welter, or Lord Ascot,
broke her back while attempting to jump a fence, mounted on the back of
the Irish mare 'Molly Asthore,' but the reader does not know that Welter
was the cause of his wife's fall, and that he actually hired a groom to
scare 'Molly Asthore' so that she would take the fence, and also his
wife out of this vale of tears. (This sentence I know is not
grammatical; who cares?) Welter, when he saw that his wife was not
killed, was furious. His large red brutal face turned to purple; he
smote his prize-fighting chest with his huge fists, he lowered his
eyebrows until he resembled an infuriated hog, and then he retired to
his house and drank a small box of claret--pints--twenty-four to the
dozen!
Adelaide, too, was furious, but she sent privately to London for Surgeon
Forsups--he came; then in the night season, unbeknown to Welter, an
operation was performed, and behold! in the morning light lay Adelaide,
tall, straight, commanding, proud--well as ever! in fact, straight as a
shingle. Do you think she wanted to choke Welter? I do.